ATL ULF Project - Boosting vocationaleducator professionalism and impact

ATL – The Education Union www.atl.org.uk

Don’t be left in the dark….….work with us on developing a high quality learning environment and ethos.

We see vocational educators as anybody who supports, develops, teaches, tutors, trains or assessors in the work place. Because of the range of names, roles and places of work vocational educators can feel left out of much policy work and focus, but they are the key to any successful vocational education and training system, particularly, one that wishes to engage with employers.

Transversal abilities are those competences that cannot be captured in single tasks, in qualifications, or the vocabulary of skills but enable practitioners to exercise their judgment and discretion. They arise when needed at the right time and right place during the life of a workplace. They are often passed on implicitly and informally but shape a working environment so that it works. Take a look around your workplace and watch when planning, communication, initiative, teamwork abilities, are called upon to develop, solve or just maintain effective working. We need to know how to nurture and refresh those abilities.

This an innovative project attempting to acknowledge and make visible the work that trainers, assessors, and teachers do in work based learning environments in a variety of occupational and industry settings. Working with Professor Chris Winch, Kings College, London and Professor Mark Addis, Director of Research, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, we aim to make visible those dispositions that workplaces need to be productive and efficient.

How long will the process take - isn’t a survey more bureaucracy?The survey measuring transversal abilities can be completed relatively quickly and is offered as part of our goodwill to see improvement in the skills sector. The best and most effective organisations utilise staff expertise and try to enhance it, but this can only be done by developing a robust learning environment and ethos. We can support and shape that ethos by developing conversations around learning (through ‘charters for learning’) and by identifying ‘skills champions’ who want to progress their career and their interest in learning and professional development.

During the life of the project we can help with those steps at network events. We will also be developing a Guide for Vocational Educators (with AELP) for all the processes that can help support professional Vocational Educators including how they can understand and take ownership of the abilities that can be neglected as significant in appraisals or qualifications when they are the backbone of the workplace.

Organisations who have expressed interest are: Kings College; Birmingham City University; London School of Economics; AoC Huddersfield University; Institution of Civil Engineers; St Mungo’s; Babbington Group; Halesowen College; Sussex County Council.

So, what are we planning to do?Our first steps are to work with interested parties, researchers, organisations, on developing some measures for transversal abilities. We will produce a survey that can be of use to employers, government, stakeholders, in order to support learning conversations in the workplace around those abilities which are not captured by qualifications or, sometimes, not explicitly acknowledged in the workplace itself.What will happen?We will produce a survey tool that can begin measuring those abilities that occur over time in the workplace and which are often passed on tacitly. Unfortunately, due to being unacknowledged they can be an inhibitor as well as a key catalyst of innovation. A key outcome is to understand and then talk about the learning required for enhancing these abilities when productive.After analysing the results and producing an academic report, followed by a Guide for use in the workplace, organisations can work with us at our planned network events and help develop appropriate workshops and knowledge exchanges focused on making better learning environments, on capturing and utilising transversal abilities. All of this work will help shape further advances in workplace effectiveness and learner outcomes during work experience and placements.

Norman Crowther leads on project aims and strategy

ATL ULF Project Launch Newsletter

At the project launch event in May we will cover the project aims, survey, guide and network events. For more information contact cbatt@atl.org.uk

ATL ULF Project Launch Newsletter

ATL –The Education Union www.atl.org.uk

Contacts

For information on the project aims and strategy:Norman Crowther,National Official Post 16 Educationncrowther@atl.org.uk

For operational delivery, budget and contracts:Jacqui O’Neill, National Learning and Development Managerjoneill@atl.org.uk

Project workers:Denise Readdie, North West and Midlands dreaddie@atl.org.ukMiranda Harr, Northern and Easternmharr@atl.org.uk

Project administration:Cara Battcbatt@atl.org.uk

“We can argue for better and coherent workplace learning environments that are more effective, support vocational educators and give a new vibrant voice in the workplace”

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Why is a trade union doing this?ATL has over 10 years’ experience of ULF project work. We also have established and joined projects and co-working with all major post 16 stakeholders: AoC, HSE, Acas, ET Foundation and AELP, as well as working with HEIs on seminars around professionalism (IOE/UCL) and expertise (UCL/BCU). Partaking on our seminar series on ‘Collaborative expertise’ have been OECD, TUC, HEIs, FE colleges, European HEIs. We have been instrumental with BCU in creating a new conference format for Reimagining FE on 29th June, BCU. All of this shows our commitment to professionalism, expertise in the post 16 sector.

Following all of this work we realised that vocational educators in work based learning, in ITP and the private sector, were not acknowledge in policies or workforce development literature. We want this project to start correcting that lack and begin conversations in workplaces around the country on transversal abilities and the significant work that vocational educators do.

ATL’s positionATL has always argued for a balanced school curriculum, for enhanced and higher status for vocational education and training in post 16 colleges, so it is consistent to want to see work based learning in a more positive light. Too many see apprenticeships as just a qualification or university as the pinnacle of skills, but work places hold as much richness and meaning for people. They certainly last longer in one’s life! Let’s make the workplace a real place of learning too.

What legacy will the project leave us with if we engage in the project?The implications of our project will benefit learners on work placements or work experience as well as those on apprenticeships and traineeships.

ATL wants to support the vocational educator voice around teaching and learning; around assessment; around sequencing of learning; developing practice through peerobservations; taking ownership of one’s CPD; helping shape learner entry requirements and development; be a part of developing new programmes and new skills; and contributing to scholarship and research on and about their workplace, particularly in professional and technical education environments.

Many of these ideas and suggestions are also in the ET Standards for Post 16 providers, but colleges and publicly funded workplaces sometimes need help implementing them. But those standards are good place to start conversations around what a learning workplace looks like.

Too few workplaces give the space for research, dialogue, peer support, and resources for teaching and learning, We want management to engage with our agenda and we need your support.

Whose involved now and who can take part?We have around 25 organisations who are interested in the project and they range from private sector employers, public sector, charities, training networks, HEIs, other relevant projects, employer owned and representative organisations, professional associations and trade unions.

Involvement can be around:• Using the survey for a particular workforce• Having a conversation about the findings• Taking part in a network event(s)

comparing findings and development• Identifying (or acknowledging) a ‘charter for

learning’ in your workplace• Appointing ‘skills champions’ to discuss

workforce findings and needs.• Helping with progression to qualifications

from level 2 to HE